Kraft Mac & Cheese Perfect Portion Size !!

This was an amazing find - I just had to share! I went to BJ's last weekend and found an 18-pack of single (3/4 cup) size servings of Kraft Original Mac & Cheese. And they're microwaveable !! They take like 3-4 minutes and it's the perfect size portion. Each pack comes with a little pasta packet and a separate cheese packet. I just use a bit more water than it calls for so when you mix the cheese sauce it stays saucier longer and takes a little longer for the sauce to thicken up while I slow-ly eat. I think they're great - maybe some of you will also. Enjoy! Happy Halloween! Adrienne - down 50 lbs.

I loved this stuff preop but dont think I could handle it now. Annies makes an organic mac n cheese that is GREAT and is a bit better for you I believe. I cant really eat either one yet, but will try the kraft one later! Thanks! Hollie

I love Kraft Mac n Cheese. And pre-op lived on this stuff. Really I did. I do have a case of the Easy Mac from Kraft and I do cook w/it for my kids. But I find that I could never eat the entire packet. Actually 2 packets feeds my dh (had his surgery 3 weeks before me), my 2 kids and myself....I will make it with fish or something else as a "filler" for my kids. But -- the carbs are really high. 39gr p/serving I believe it is. And the protein is lower also. I know for me I need to really struggle to get my protein in. And eating pasta defeats that purpose because I get to full and stuff like that. Gala RNY -75lbs

Hi Adrienne, What does your surgeon's nutritionist say about Mac & Cheese right now? Mine says not now and perhaps not ever for me since I gain weight just looking and/or smelling at Carbs. Check it out before going to deep into carb land. Cathy

Hi Cathy, Believe it or not I haven't been a big carb fan for about 3 years now but mac & cheese was always a treat for me - especially the home baked 3 cheese type I used to make. My nutritionist wants me to expand my food options as much as possible right now to try new things in search of what will work and what won't. Except for the "cheese" in this mac and cheese - it's all carbs. I'm very aware of that. The portion size is so small that she's been okay with the idea that they're a fill-in type of meal if I can't get proteins down for example during the days when I'm at work. She's very strongly suggesting that I don't get hung up in a rut where I keep eating the same, "safe" things as opposed to trying different foods. I STILL cannot eat any meat except for ground. No chicken, not even turkey breast or lean roast beef. I can eat sashimi tuna....go figure. Thanks for your concern on the carb thing. I'm very cautiously going forward but the mac and cheese is a nice treat right now and the best part of it is is that it stays down! Adrienne

One good combo is Mac & Cheese with Tuna added...that way you'd still be getting some protein in with your meal. Pre-op I would make the creamier version of Kraft Mac & Cheese and then add a can of tuna, a can of cream of mushroom soup and a small can of early June peas...or you can add broccoli instead of peas

Hi Adrienne, You seem to have a good grasp on all the pros and cons of this issue. I have one suggestion to make. Consider adding some silken tofu to your mac and cheese because it takes on the flavors of whatever it is with and would just add creamyness to the dish as well as protein. You'd have to experiment with how much to add but you may find that you can cut back on the pasta and keep the flavor with the addition of tofu. The silken tofu will make a smooth sauce. If you want something to mimic cooked pasta cube up some firm tofu and add it to the dish. As I say, the tofu will take on the taste of the cheddar cheese and it won't taste like anything else. On another note. You mention your difficullty eating meat, except for ground. I bought something available in baby care supplies that I have used successfully for me in making all meats edible. It is called a Food Mill With Carry Tote by KidCo. Advertised as: "A compact food grinder for preparing fresh baby food, complete with its own plastic carrying case." To see what it looks like go to: http://store.babycenter.com/product/feeding/solid_feeding/feeding_accessories/8024 or Google in Baby Food Mill KidCo. I now can finally eat moist chicken if I have it in its own juices or broth. I just bought a chicken today to put into my slow cooker with some carrots and celery and onions. This way I can make both stock and tender chicken; and one chicken lasts me a week Keep us posted with your experimentations. Good luck. Cathy Open RNY 7/26/04

Hi Cathy, Thank you for the great suggestions about the food mill and the tofu. I'll have to look into "silken" tofu. I've been using the firm tofu quite a bit. I like to put some in my egg drop soup but I'm not familiar with silken tofu. The food mill also sounds interesting and worth looking into. The slow cooker chicken and veggie combination sound soooooo good. Someday I guess I'll be able to get back to it....I've got plenty of time. I'll keep you posted and thanks again for your support and input! Adrienne

Hi Adrienne, I better clarify something about the recicpe I gave for my slow cooked chicken. I use the celery and onions for cooking flavor but don't eat them. They both have "skins and fiber" that is way beyond my current pouch restrictions. I don't want to get Bezoars (fiber "hair balls") caught in my pouch. I may eat some carrots but I don't indulge in high carb vegies (like potatoes) and carrots are also high in carbs...but I'll eat a itsy bit of the carrots as a treat. Anyway I usually use garlic cloves and parsley for flavor. I use whole garlic cloves (they disolve nicely) and I use a bunch of fresh parsley so the dried flakes don't get into the broth (again, a fiber thing). I usually cook the broth and bones several hours longer (overnight) after I remove the well cooked meat which I put off the bone in the fridge to finish off the broth. I return the bones to the broth and cook it another 12 hours. That way the gelatin from the bones will act as a natural thickener to my broth. I do strain the entire broth to catch all the bones as they fell off the meat. I strain out the used up vegies at the same time. This makes a nice gelatenous broth in which the meat can be added then when refrigerated it chills up nice and firm. I have found this so nice to eat chilled and easy on the pouch. Of course you can reheat a portion of broth and meat. It does give you a hot and cold choice for meal variety though. For me the key to easily eating chicken is to be sure I get a lot of the broth in with the chicken as I go about chewing it to death to make it ease gently into my pouch! There, that's probably way more than you want but I just can't help myself. Cathy Open RNY 7/26/04